What Is Technical SEO? 5 Best Technical SEO Practices for 2024

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We often come around this question, asked by many business owners and numerous customers: ‘What is technical SEO? and some other questions like:

Why is technical SEO important?

How can we optimize our website for technical SEO?

In this article, we’ll answer all the questions and explore the 5 best technical SEO practices. Furthermore, we’ll provide you with the latest insights and strategies to make your website Technical Optimized.

Whether you’re a seasoned SEO pro or just starting, these strategies will help you to technically optimize websites like never before.

What is Technical SEO?

Technical SEO is a process of optimizing a website and improving the website in all technical aspects for Search Engine. It helps search engines to find, crawl and Index the pages.

The primary goal of technical SEO is to ensure that search engines can understand and rank a website’s content accurately.

Making a website faster, easier to crawl, and more understandable for search engines are the pillars of technical optimization.

Some of Common Technical SEO optimization are:

SEO-Friendly Site Structure
XML Sitemap Submission
Crawling and Indexing
Page Speed Optimization
Duplicate Content Fix
SSL Integration
Mobile-Friendly Design
Enhanced User Experience

In this blog, we will discuss all the points in detail. Join us on this journey to Technical SEO success!

Why Is Technical SEO Important?

You might wonder why Technical SEO is so crucial. Well, search engines like Google and Bing continually evolve and look more into websites from a technical perspective.

If your website is not accessible to search engine crawlers, it will not appear or rank in search results—no matter how valuable your content may be.

Google has added an extra E for Experience in E-A-T Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines. They want to provide users with the best experience.

Read more: E-E-A-T Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines.

The websites should not only have valuable content but also good loading speed, be mobile-friendly, and be secure. If your website doesn’t meet these technical criteria, it creates a bad experience for the user and the website could get penalized in search rankings, and you risk losing valuable organic traffic.

The 5 Best Technical SEO Practices for 2024

Let’s explore the top five practices you should adopt in 2024 to ensure your website is technically optimized.

1. Page Speed Optimization

Page speed affects the ranking of websites on both mobile search and Desktop/Web Search.

In an era where users expect instant results, page speed is extremely important. Google considers page speed as a ranking factor, and slow-loading pages can lead to a high bounce rate and a drop in rankings.

You can check your current website speed, using Google PageSpeed Insights.

To improve your website’s speed: Here are a few ideas

Compress your Images:
Optimizing or compressing images to reduce their file size can lead to faster loading times and a better user experience for your visitors. You can use tools like Image Compressor to reduce the file size and load the page faster.
Optimize CSS and JavaScript files:
Optimizing your CSS and JavaScript files helps improve the performance of your website. Removing codes and unnecessary files results in faster page loading times and an enhanced user experience.
Use CDN (content distribution network):
CDNs store copies of your web pages on servers located worldwide. When a visitor accesses your site, the CDN connects them to the nearest server, minimizing the distance that requested files need to travel. This helps improve loading speed and overall performance for your users.

By implementing these techniques, you can significantly improve your website’s loading speed, which in turn boosts SEO performance.

2. Mobile Optimization (Mobile-Friendly)

Today, most people are searching on Google using a mobile device. Which Google uses Mobile-First Indexing, means that it looks into mobile versions of webpages to index and rank content. Here’s what you can do:

Responsive Design:
Implement a responsive design that adjusts the layout and content based on the user’s device. This ensures a consistent and user-friendly experience across various screen sizes.
Optimize Images and Media:
Optimize images, minimize unnecessary scripts, and leverage browser caching to enhance page loading speed on mobile devices. Fast-loading pages contribute to a positive user experience.
Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test:
Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to evaluate how well your website performs on mobile devices. The tool provides insights into potential issues and suggestions for improvement. Mobile optimization, or ensuring that a website is mobile-friendly, is a crucial aspect of web development in the digital age. With the increasing prevalence of mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, providing a seamless and responsive experience for users on various screen sizes is essential.

Mobile optimization is not just a user experience consideration; it also influences search engine rankings. Google, for example, prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in its mobile search results. Therefore, investing in mobile optimization is crucial for reaching and engaging a broad audience in today’s digital landscape.

3. Schema Markup Implementation

Schema markup, often referred to as structured data markup, is a code that you add to your website to help search engines read and understand the content on your page. It improves the understanding of the content on your site by search engines, which may help in getting feature snippets and different types of search engine snippets. Here is a general implementation guide for schema markup:

Choose the Right Schema Type:
Visit the official Schema.org website to explore various schema types available. Select the most appropriate schema type for the content on your page. Common types include Articles, Products, Organizations, local businesses, and more.
Generate Schema Markup:
You can generate schema markup manually by adding the necessary HTML tags or use online tools like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper or any Schema Markup Generator. Fill in the required information for the chosen schema type, such as name, description, image, etc.
Add Schema Markup to HTML:
Once you have generated the schema markup, you need to add it to the HTML code of your web page. Place the markup within the <script> tags in the <head> or <body> section of your HTML document.
Validate Your Markup:
Use the Google Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure that your schema markup is valid. Correct any errors or warnings that are reported.
Submit to Search Engines:
Once validated, submit your updated sitemap to search engines like Google through their respective webmaster tools. This helps search engines discover and understand your structured data.

Remember, schema markup can be applied to various types of content on your website, such as articles, events, products, and more. The specific properties you use in your schema markup will depend on the type of content you are marking up. Always refer to the Schema.org documentation for the latest information and guidelines.

4. Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of specific factors that Google considers important in determining the user experience of a web page. These factors focus on the speed, responsiveness, and visual stability of a page. As of my last knowledge update in January 2022, the Core Web Vitals include the following metrics:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP):
Definition: LCP measures the time it takes for the main content of a web page to load. It is considered a key indicator of page loading performance.
Target: LCP should occur within the first 2.5 seconds of the page starting to load.
First Input Delay (FID):
Definition: FID measures the time it takes for a web page to become interactive. It assesses the delay between a user’s first interaction (like clicking a button) and the browser’s response.
Target: FID should be less than 100 milliseconds.
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS):
Definition: CLS measures the visual stability of a page. It quantifies the amount of unexpected layout shifts of visible page content.
Your Target for the Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) should be less than 0.1.

To improve Core Web Vitals, consider the following:

Optimize Images and Videos
Minimize Server Response Time
Browser Caching
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Prioritize Critical Rendering Path
Implement Lazy Loading
Upgrade Hosting and Server Resources

Keep in mind that Google may update its criteria, and it’s a good practice to stay informed about the latest recommendations and updates from Google’s official documentation or webmaster announcements. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help to identify areas for improvement related to Core Web Vitals.

5. HTTPS and Website Security

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is an extension of HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) designed to provide secure communication over the Internet. When a website uses HTTPS, the data exchanged between the user’s browser and the website is encrypted, enhancing security and privacy. Here are key points regarding HTTPS and website security:

Encryption of Data:
HTTPS encrypts the data transmitted between a user’s browser and the website’s server. This helps to protect sensitive information, such as login credentials, personal details, and financial transactions, from being intercepted by malicious actors.
SSL/TLS Protocols:
The security of HTTPS is achieved through the use of SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or its successor, TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols. These protocols establish a secure connection by encrypting the data and ensuring its integrity.
Trust and User Confidence:
HTTPS contributes to building trust with website visitors. Users are more likely to trust a website that displays the padlock symbol, indicating a secure connection. Additionally, some browsers mark HTTP sites as “Not Secure,” further encouraging website owners to adopt HTTPS.
Search Engine Rankings:
Search engines, such as Google, consider HTTPS as a ranking factor. Websites using HTTPS have a higher rate of boost in search engine rankings compared to their non-secure counterparts. Your website may display a warning sign as “Alert non-secure sites”.

To implement HTTPS on a website, obtain an SSL/TLS certificate, configure the server to use HTTPS, and update website links to use “https://” instead of “http://”. Many web hosting providers offer easy integration of SSL certificates, and services like Let’s Encrypt provide free SSL certificates for websites.

Content Optimization for SEO

To optimize your content for SEO, start by conducting thorough keyword research using tools like Google Keyword Planner to identify relevant keywords with reasonable search volume. Craft high-quality, valuable content that addresses the interests and needs of your target audience.

Implement and place keywords strategically in crucial areas such as titles, headings, and throughout the content, but avoid overloading for readability.

Write meta titles and descriptions, and maintain clean, descriptive URLs that incorporate relevant keywords.

Create a clean structure of your content with header tags (H1, H2, etc.) for both readability and for search engines.

Optimize images by using descriptive filenames and adding alt text, and ensure a mobile-friendly design to cater to the increasing use of mobile devices. Keep an eye on your page loading speed, using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and address any speed issues. Provide a positive user experience by focusing on content engagement and usability. Incorporate internal links to other relevant pages within your site and include authoritative external links to reputable sources. Regularly update and refresh your content to keep it relevant, and encourage social sharing to increase visibility. Remember, SEO is an ongoing process, so continually monitor your site’s performance and adapt your strategies based on analytics and industry best practices.

Conclusion

Technical SEO continues to remain important in 2024 if you want to see higher search engine ranks. Define goals for things like security, Core Web Vitals, mobile optimization, schema markup, and website speed are still necessary to be competitive in the world of the internet.

Technical SEO can be simplified with the assistance of Seoenv Experts. Our expertise in aligning technical elements like security, Core Web Vitals, mobile optimization, schema markup, and website speed can amplify your optimization efforts. By leveraging SEOenv’s tailored strategies, you can ensure a finely-tuned Technical SEO approach, enabling your website to meet evolving search engine criteria while delivering an exceptional user experience.

It is important to understand that content optimization is as important as technical SEO. You can guarantee a thorough and successful SEO approach that appeals to search engines and users alike by balancing technical and content-focused methods.